“Stamp up the draft” – the opposition tears up the “spit out” crisis law

Last week – about a year after the announcement – the government presented the new crisis security law. Key points are the definition of a crisis, the establishment of a situation centre, the appointment of a crisis coordinator and coordination between all actors. Some of these are constitutional matters requiring a two-thirds majority in the National Council. The SPÖ or FPÖ should at least agree with the ÖVP and the Greens.

“a mess from the start”
However, the opposition made it clear on Thursday that no such approval would be forthcoming. SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS did not make a good figure on any of the most important points. After a long process, poor quality is now being presented, SPÖ security spokesman Reinhold Einwallner criticized. The law was “a mess from the start” and got “even worse” after a year. They were not involved at all, they learned about the new design through the media, this procedure was “an impudence”, emphasized the liberal security spokesman Hannes Amesbauer.

In terms of content, the new template is “unsuitable” for a crisis, Einwallner said. The definition of crisis in the design is unclear because it is not clear what a crisis is, when it starts or ends. The role of the federal army is also criticized. According to Amesbauer, this “will be relegated to domestic service.” NEOS defense spokesman Douglas Hoyos even said the military would be dismantled “through the back door”. In the future, every penny for the military should be used for stockpiling water bottles, for example. That is “amateurish” and dangerous for safety. Overall, the draft was “amateurish” and “carelessly written,” Hoyos criticized.

“No Clear Responsibility”
The opposition also lacks clear responsibilities that coincide with the chancellor. Instead, only a “government advisor” is planned with no clear powers. Hoyos suspects that now it’s about creating a position that can then be used as a “scapegoat for the failure of the federal government in the coming months.” Amesbauer called for clear political accountability, for example through a state secretariat in the chancellery.

In a crisis, his SPÖ colleague Einwallner notes a “much too strong concentration of power in the Ministry of the Interior”, which is “wrong and irresponsible”. The planned bunker that will be built there will suddenly cost 50 million euros instead of 27, and Einwallner criticizes that alternatives have not even been considered, for example with the existing infrastructure. Parliament’s role is very small and only for “kinks,” Amesbauer criticized. If former Blue Interior Minister Herbert Kickl had presented a law on such an important issue, there would have been accusations from the “police state,” the FPÖ politician said.

National Security Council not mentioned
The opposition is demanding that the security strategy, which is more than a decade old, be revised as part of the new law. It should also be checked whether the National Security Council is still up-to-date. So you need to think about upgrading the body, which is currently mainly used for the “media show”. The Security Council, which acts as a bridge between the government and the National Council in a crisis, does not even feature in the draft.

On Thursday afternoon, negotiations will be held with the government parties about amendments to the law. There’s no sign of a fix coming anytime soon. Because good approximations would hardly be found, is the tenor of the opposition. It is also not clearly defined where central information should come together – an important point for obtaining reliable data, as became apparent with the corona pandemic. “Basically you have to scrap the design and start over,” explains NEOS politician Hoyos. If the opposition has its way, the project must be revised from the ground up – “we are happy to help you,” said SPÖ security spokesman Einwallner.